You and Me Could Write a Bad Romance
by badcompany215
Summary: Jo falls hard for Darren Shan, and Darren just wants to be with her. But Steve wants to make Darren miserable, and that means keeping Darren from what he wants. A girl's life is in danger simply because of young love. Can both survive their Bad Romance?
1. i'm a free bitch, baby

**A few notes: This is a mixture of Movie and Book-verse, with the plot being AU, not really following the book timeline - more so the movie timeline...lol**

**Second, Jo's dog's name is pronounced "Rooz". **

**Third...I don't really have a third - I think that's everything XD**

Time it takes to pass out due to smoke inhalation: Mere minutes.

Time it takes to die from smoke inhalation: roughly fifteen minutes.

Time it takes to burn to death: Anywhere between one and two minutes - burning from the inside out, as well as from the outside in.

Sound like your idea of a good time? No. It wasn't Joanna's either. So, one might wonder why nineteen year old Jo Piper stood now, before a crowd of darkly clad teens and 'punk' posers in the underground black district of New Orleans, her entire five foot, five inch frame surrounded by angry flames. This was her job - well, not that she got any cut of the money made. Really, it could hardly be classified as a job...So, let's scratch that: This was her _obligation_. She had no recollection of her life before the show, none of her family (even her parents), nothing. Whenever she tried to remember, it was just black. But, regardless of the fact that she'd never known anything different, she knew that this was not normal. She knew she was not normal - not all kids can play with fire and not get burned - and she knew that the way she was treated was not acceptable. Tonight, she'd decided precisely two days prior to the show, would be the final night that she performed with their Black Circus (an unofficial name for their little show), and she planned to go out with a bang.

They often would perform in the same venue - the basement of a dodgy club. A club filled with pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers - it was the city's trash can, filled with the world's finest douche-bags. Joanna was going to burn it to the ground.

See, not only was Joanna unaffected by the scalding flames, she could control them. A touch of her fingertip could ignite any object she wished to incinerate. Plus, it would be easy enough to pretend to lose control over her current flame - have it spread through the basement, up in to the club itself, turn the God forsaken place in to a pile of ash. Preferably with their 'ring leader' inside, but she wasn't picky. This was simply a means to an end - a distraction to allow her to make her escape out in to the night. She would hop the next train to pass through and go where ever it took her - Hey, it couldn't be any worse than here.

She finished her act, her eyes not pausing on any single member of the crowd - it was a fault in her performing abilities. She never really connected with her audience. Perhaps, had this been an actual job that she actually cared about, she would have put an effort in to it and overcome her error. But she didn't, so she'd never bothered. It was for that reason, partially, that she didn't notice the pale pair leaning against the wall near the stairs - an older man with bright orange hair and a scarred face, clad in a long, red coat, vest, and slacks, and a young boy in a bright leather coat and black shirt. The boy could have easily passed for a normal, human teenager had it not been for his odd companion. But, amongst this crowd (all of whom were oddly dressed), neither of them stood out.

Darren Shan had seen almost everything. Seeing a girl standing in the middle of an inferno without burning to death was not something that shocked him - impressed him, sure - but no, he wasn't baffled. He knew better than to assume that it was simply an illusion and decided that the girl was a freak. Now, one must know that when Darren drops someone in the 'freak' category, he does so with the utmost respect. He has learned to love freaks - freaks are his family, now. _He is a freak_. It was _because_of this particular fire-saturated freak that he and his Vampire mentor were here this particular evening. Mr. Tall had been known to pick up a few freaks in his travels across the country with the Cirque - Darren had heard a firsthand account of one such rescue from Evra Von, the snake boy - and, while the rest of the Cirque camped outside the city, Mr. Tall had ventured here and found this girl. Whatever he'd seen had displeased him greatly, and Mr. Crepsley was asked to retrieve the girl tonight. Being Crepsley's assistant and all, Darren was obligated to tag along. He probably would have done so anyway, whether he was required to or not.

"We should wait outside," Mr. Crepsley commented once the girl was finished with her act.

Darren glanced over at him, "We aren't going to watch the rest of the show?"

The vampire shook his head, "There should not be much left to it, anyway - and, if there is, it won't be anything worth seeing, I'm sure," Mr. Crepsley's mind was made up, and Darren followed him up the stairs with no further complaint. And it was a damn good thing, too, because a mere ten minutes after they'd exited the building, screams could be heard from the very basement from which they emerged. Darren glanced anxiously up at Mr. Crepsley, waiting to see if he would do anything before Darren himself chose to act. Crepsley's silence made Darren anxious, and he shifted his weight restlessly from one foot to the other, "Shouldn't we go back?!"

"Are you not listening, Darren?"

Darren waited for him to continue, "...Whatta ya mean?"

Mr. Crepsley sighed, "There is a fire. It would be suicide, even for us."

Sure enough, when Darren listened, he could hear the crackling flames as screaming, hacking audience members and club goers fled through the entrance and out in to the street, "Oh."

Jo burst through the back exit, grinning from ear to ear. _So far, so good_. She snatched up her pack from where she'd hidden it behind a dumpster and peered up and down the alley, making sure the coast was clear before she began to jog toward the street, keeping out of sight as best as she could, "Ruz! C'mon, boy!"

A large, slightly overweight golden retrieved bolted around the far corner, running to catch up with his master, panting - with his mouth agape, tongue hanging out, he, too, looked like he was grinning. Jo laughed, the glee bubbling up inside her - freedom was so close, she could almost taste it!

Almost.

"Joanna Piper?"

She skidded to a halt as a man with orange hair seemed to materialize directly in her path - poor Ruz, unable to stop in time, barrelled right in to the legs of the brown haired boy who appeared just behind the odd looking man. The boy yelped as he toppled over, the massive dog stumbling over with him. Jo gulped, "Y-Yes?"

"My name is Larten Crepsley," He gestured to the pinned boy behind him, "And this is my assistant, Darren."

Jo frowned down at Darren, confused by Ruz's strange reaction. While Ruz had managed to get back on his feet, he still stood with his two front paws on Darren's chest, teeth bared. Ruz never growled and was never an aggressive dog. In fact, Ruz was a major wuss. She hardly recognized her furry friend, "RUZ! Get off of him! Bad!" Jo stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the dog, prying him off of the poor guy, "Sorry about that, I don't know what happened - he's never like that..."

To her surprise, Darren simply rose, sighing, and brushed himself off, "It's alright."

Jo blinked for a moment, but then turned back to Larten Crepsley, "I'm in a bit of a hurry..." She explained, hinting that she couldn't linger, so, whatever they wanted to say needed to be said soon.

Mr. Crepsley nodded his head once in understanding, "Of course. We've come to offer you a job - and a home - at the Cirque du Freak."

She stared at him, adjusting her pack on her shoulder, "The what?"

Darren spoke up, "It's a freak show."

"Excuse me?!" Jo didn't really know why she was offended that they'd offered her a job at a freak show. Honestly, she knew she wasn't exactly _normal_. It was just that freak shows were usually associated with so much negativity that her being offended was sort of a knee jerk reaction.

"You are surprised?" Crepsley sounded amused, "We know what you can do, Joanna - Mr. Tall is a big fan of your work," He glanced toward the now fully engulfed club, raising an eyebrow knowingly. Jo blushed, "And, after tonight, it seems you will, conveniently, be homeless and without a job - I am offering you both. This offer is a one time opportunity, take it or leave it."

She glanced from Crepsley to Darren, and down at Ruz, who stared up at her, panting. He stopped and whimpered, turning his attention to Darren and Larten. Jo sighed, wondering why she was even taking so long to decide -

"What have you got to lose?" Darren asked, shrugging.

Jo raised an eyebrow - she had just been thinking that very same thing. She grinned, nodding, "Alright, I'm in," She quickly caught herself, and reached down to scratch behind her dog's ear, "Ruz can come, too, right?"

Mr. Crepsley smiled at the silly question, "Yes, he can come, too."

Jo beamed, "Perfect," She clapped her hands together, "So, shall we go? Where'd you guys park?"

Darren glanced at Mr. Crepsley. He wondered if they should tell Joanna what they were. Was it too soon? How could they be certain that they could trust this girl? What if she couldn't accept the idea of vampire's existing? What if she panicked and had them hunted down? One could never be too careful when in their position.

"Well, I suppose it is no secret that we, too, are freaks," Mr. Crepsley began, "So, if it's all the same to you, would you climb on my back? Either I or Darren will have to carry you to the Cirque."

"...On your back?"

"We ran here," Darren explained.

"...I'm not sure I'm following you here. I'm perfectly capable of running on my own...?"

Darren grinned, "Trust me, you wouldn't be able to keep up."

"If it would make you more comfortable, Darren could carry you," Mr. Crepsley offered, thinking that she may prefer to...uh...run with someone closer to her age, rather than on the back of some old man.

Jo looked over at Darren. He was lean, but definitely did not look like he could carry her for any extended period of time. It seemed odd to her that Mr. Crepsley would think otherwise. Not only that, but Darren, admittedly, was quite good looking, and Jo knew she would not feel more comfortable riding on his back. Naturally, it was going to be awkward either way, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about being attracted to Crepsley.

...No offense to him. Heck, for all she knew, he could've been quite the looker in his day. Just...Yeah - he was too old and...not her type. And he dressed funny.

"Uhm, no, it's fine," She approached Crepsley awkwardly, "So...do I just...hop on?"

"Basically - Darren, would you grab the dog?"

"Oh, sure, I get to carry the dog..." Darren grumbled, cautiously approaching Ruz, who backed away, keeping his distance, "The dog hates me!"

"All dogs hate you, Darren - stop complaining."

Darren glared at him, then, faster than Jo had ever seen anyone move, he darted forward and snatched up Ruz. Ruz never even saw him coming, and yelped in fright, struggling against Darren's hold. Jo's eyebrows shot up, "How did you...How are you...?!" Ruz was a big dog, but Darren made holding on to the struggling, hundred-pound pooch look easy, "Wow," Clearly, she'd underestimated him.

"Well, the night is almost over - we should get moving," Mr. Crepsley turned so that his back was to Jo. Without giving herself a chance to hesitate, Jo wrapped her arms around his neck and climbed on to his back.

_Yeah, this is weird..._She thought, gulping. She looked around, and blinked in confusion when she realised that Darren was gone.

"Hold your breath," Crepsley warned before he took off down the street.

It was a weird suggestion, but, being a total fish out of water, Jo obeyed, sucking in as much air as possible before they set out. He eyes were wide as they sped through the streets. This was impossible - no one could run this fast! But, in all fairness, technically, no one should be able to start fires with nothing but their bare hands, or be able to survive standing in the middle of a blaze. Still - it was amazing! They were out of the city in minutes (of course, it would've been less if they hadn't had to stop for her to take a breath), and Darren was waiting next to the road a short distance out of town (she couldn't be entirely certain just how far out they were), and Mr. Crepsley set her down. Darren released Ruz (he'd been holding the dog to keep him from running away), and the dog immediately ran to Jo's side with his tail between his legs.

He _really_ didn't like Darren.

Mr. Crepsley gestured grandly toward the large campground before them, "Welcome to the Cirque du Freak!"

Jo glanced at Darren, who gestured for her to go ahead, "After you?"

She shook her head, smiling politely at him, "I wouldn't know where to go," She imitated his previous gesture, "So...after _you_."

He grinned back at her, shrugging, "Fair enough," After making sure that she was following, Darren set off toward the camp, "You'll have to share a tent with Rebecca - I doubt you'd want to be stuck with Evra and I, anyway, so..."

"Who's Rebecca?" What she really wanted to ask was 'what made her a freak', but she refrained, not really sure what was considered rude amongst the members of the Cirque. She'd find out once she got there, she supposed. Let them ask her first, then it would definitely be safe for her to ask the same.

He slowed slightly, allowing her to catch up so they could walk together, "Oh, Rebecca's great - you'll meet her soon enough, I suppose. We dated briefly..." He glanced at Jo, noticing the wide eyed, expectant stare. He leaned in closer, as if he were revealing some big secret, and grinned, "She's a monkey girl."

Jo nodded, as if she actually had a clue what the hell that meant, "Oh. Cool...?" She took the opportunity to examine Darren himself - if there were monkey girls in the camp (Jo expected the girl to be quite hairy), odds are there were others with strange appearances. She was trying to spot an extra limb on the boy next to her, or any weird tufts of hair. Eventually, not seeing anything, she gave up trying to be subtle and polite, "So, uh, Darren - what's your...uh...talent?"

Darren hesitated, "I'm Mr. Crepsley's assistant."

"Well, I know that, but how'd you get that job? It doesn't seem like something you apply for. Are you two related?"

Darren snorted, "You could say that, I guess."

"Wow - because _that's_ not vague at all. You don't have to tell me if you don't want - I mean, if it's something embarrassing - "

"Oh, no, no, no - It's nothing embarrassing!" He blurted quickly, not wanting her mind to start thinking of humiliating deformities or 'skills'.

"Right. If I guess it, will you tell me?" She smiled, kind of liking the mystery. It had been a while since she'd been around anyone close to her age that she actually was interested in socializing with for any extended period of time.

He laughed, looking extremely confident, "If you guess it, I will be very impressed."

"Well, in that case..." She eyed him through narrowed, thoughtful eyes, "...do you swallow swords?"

"No - well, I might be able to. Never really tried it..."

"Fire?"

"What?"

"Can you swallow fire - ooooh, are you fire breather?!"

"No - I don't swallow any inanimate objects, so, we can move past that."

"Oh, okay. Hmm," She grinned playfully, teasing: "Werewolf?"

He laughed, "No - but we do have a wolf man!"

"Really?! That's cool! Can I meet him?"

"It won't be much of a meeting - he's...kind of more wolf than human, but I'll take you by his cage when we get there."

"Awesome!" She returned her attention to guessing what made this seemingly normal boy a 'freak', and she remembered their journey here, how fast the pair had moved, and how he'd been able to carry Ruz like he weighed nothing, "OH! I got it: You're super strong! Like - the strong man! Only, not massive," She snapped her fingers, "You're Superman."

He smirked, winking at her, "I'm not trying to impress you or anything...but, yes: I'm Superman," he reached over to shake her hand, "Hi, I'm Clark Kent - pleasure to meet you."

Jo laughed, accepting his hand, "Lois Lane," She shot back, playing along. She realised too late, however, that Lois and Clark were one of the most famous couples of all time. Darren, too, seemed to have caught that reference, because, almost simultaneously, they dropped each others' hands, and Jo cleared her throat awkwardly, feeling her cheeks heat up with blush, "Uhm...B-but seriously, though - am I right?"

"If you want to be a buzz kill: no. I'm not Superman."

"No super-strength? No X-ray vision?"

He raised an eyebrow, grinning to himself at the idea of having the ability to see through walls (among other things), "No X-ray vision."

"A-ha! But you do admit that you have super-strength!"

He shrugged, "I never committed to either a 'yes' or a 'no'."

"That means 'yes'," Jo concluded..

The trio parted once inside the Cirque campground (Mr. Crepsley went to inform Mr. Tall of their success in their rescue of Joanna), Darren and Jo set off together to tour the camp. Jo shrieked when a small being in a cloak sprung up beside them, sprinting toward Darren excitedly.

"SWEET JESUS, WHAT IS THAT!?" She yelped, hiding behind the lean boy.

Darren laughed, waving to the tiny creature, "His name is Harkat," He explained, before addressing the creature itself: 'How are you?"

Harkat rubbed his belly and eyed Ruz.

"Ooooh, no," Darren shook his head, glaring at Harkat, "The dog is off limits!"

"It wants to eat my dog?!" Jo gasped.

Harkat paused before rubbing his belly once more, his eyes pleading.

"No!"

Harkat growled in disappointment, letting his hand fall away from his stomach. Jo was still keeping herself hidden behind Darren (the little person creeped her out), with Ruz pressed against her thigh. Harkat looked at them briefly, then thrust his hand out toward Darren. Much to Jo's surprise, Darren sighed, but took the tiny creature's hand.

"You don't mind if he comes along, do you?"

"N-no," Jo squeaked, wincing at the way her voice broke due to her nerves.

"He won't hurt you...I mean, I won't let him," He assured her, "Just keep your distance."

Jo snorted, "That's comforting." she murmured, sarcastically. She glanced down at Harkat, and the little person gave her a sinister grin, gripping Darren's hand tight. She didn't like the look of this...thing. It was very disturbing, with it's sharp teeth, yellow eyes, and grey skin. Worst of all was that she _didn't know_ _what it was._Not understanding the creature made her even more nervous - she had no idea what to expect from it, but, at this point, she did know that it wanted to eat Ruz, and that was enough to scare the shit out of her. She loved her dog dearly, and who's to say that little Harkat wouldn't take a bite out of Ruz - or _her! -_ while she slept?

"Hey," Darren nudged her gently with his elbow, looking worried, "Don't worry about it. You're with Superman, remember?"

Jo released the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, tearing her eyes off of the disturbing creature to smile up at Darren, and nodded, "Right."

**I'm gunna stop chapter 1 there. Let me know what you think, please!!!**


	2. i want your design

**Thank you to those of you who added this to your story alert list and reviewed! I really appreciate it!**

**So, I kind of explained at the beginning of Chapter One that the timeline in my story was slightly skewed. So, yes - I'm having Harkat already be at the point where he and Darren are on speaking terms, even though the Vampire Mountain events have not occurred yet. :)**

The Little People wanted to eat Ruz. He was big, fat, and probably looked damn juicy. Their little group had grown as they strolled through the camp, and Jo kept nervously glancing over her shoulder to keep an eye on the creepy creatures that were following them. She kept one hand on Ruz, making sure he stayed with her. All he wanted to do was get away from Darren, but Jo was far too worried for his safety to allow her pet to explore the camp on his own. He could deal with his dislike for Darren for now. She'd be damned if she would let her best friend be hunted. She kept close to Darren (Ruz hated that) as they made their way to the Wolf Man's cage.

"There he is," Darren gestured toward the imprisoned creature.

Jo wrinkled her nose at the awful smell, "Ugh, that's disgusting."

"Just wait 'til you have to clean it up."

"Ew."

"Yeah."

The Wolf Man didn't really look like a wolf _or_ a man, really. To Jo, he kind of looked more like some sort of baboon. He was very strange looking, "Can he talk?"

Darren shook his head, "No."

"Do you think he understands us?"

"I don't think so..."

Ruz sniffed around the bars, curious about the creature's unfamiliar scent. It must have been very confusing for him, to meet something that was similar to him, yet so very different. Ruz gave a confused 'bark', looking up at Jo, then back at the caged animal. He didn't wag his tail - actually, his tail hadn't moved an inch since they'd arrived. Ruz was still being very cautious. Jo suspected it would take a while for him to get used to his new home. It was certainly going to take her some time.

They left the Wolf Man, heading out to find something new to see.

"So, you have a Wolf Man, a Monkey Girl," She grinned up at him, pointing at him, "Superman - what else is there?"

Darren grinned, "The Snake Boy!"

Jo rolled her eyes, "Y'all aren't very creative with your titles, are you?"

"No, not really," He chuckled, "I guess there's no prolonging the inevitable - wanna meet Evra?"

"Your roommate is the Snake Boy?"

"Yup."

She wondered what time it was, "Won't he be asleep?"

Darren shrugged, "Maybe - come on, I'm sure he won't mind," He grabbed her hand with his free one and pulled her along to his and Evra's tent. It was a massive tent, with a...coffin in the corner _(what the hell_?). She glanced at Darren warily upon seeing the corpse-container, thinking absurd and impossible thoughts (maybe this Evra liked to sleep in small, dark spaces - snakes liked those, didn't they?). She tried her best to ignore it, and grinned when she saw the drum set.

"Is that yours?"

"No, it's mine."

Jo's eyes went wide as a boy with green, scaly skin rolled off the far bed and stepped out where she could see him properly. He was dressed like any other young man would be, and he looked like he would be around her age, maybe a little older...if it wasn't for his skin, he probably would have been quite attractive. That is, if you were in to the piercings and the whole skateboarder slash musician style. Jo had never liked piercings on guys...

"Evra, this is Joanna - "

"Jo," She corrected.

"Oh, sorry - Evra," Darren began again, "This is _Jo._Jo: Evra."

"Interesting name," Jo commented, reaching out to shake Evra's hand. She was actually quite curious as to what his skin felt like. When he accepted her hand, she was surprised and delighted to note that it actually felt cold, like an actual snake! It was fascinating! It would take some getting used to, but she'd never had a problem with reptiles. She had so many things she wanted to ask, but she was fairly sure it would be rude to start asking him personal questions about his snake-genes upon their first meeting.

Evra shrugged, "I guess it is. Do you like having a boy's name?"

Jo raised an eyebrow, "I honestly don't think of it as being one, really. I always hated being called Anna, and Joanna just sounds..." She shrugged, not really knowing how to explain why she didn't like her full name.

"Gotcha. Jo it is then - hopefully, eventually, I'll stop picturing an obese trucker in my head whenever I say or hear your name."

"Evra!" Darren hissed.

Jo shook her head, grinning, "My, aren't you a charmer!"

"I do what I can - So," He looked her over, "What's your claim to fame?"

"I'm a 'Fire Girl'," Jo grinned over at Darren, who rolled his eyes, but still smiled at the suble mockery of their lack of originality.

"Neat," Evra had an odd tone to his voice - he always sounded very unimpressed by everything. Kind of like everything bored him. It was endearing - she quite liked his way of speaking. He turned, then, to Darren, seeming to have just noticed Harkat, "Dude - why do you bring him in here? He creeps me out!"

"He can understand you, you know!" Darren scolded, "And I like him - he's not that bad..."

"Thank...you..."

Jo jumped at the odd, scratchy voice. She hadn't realised that Harkat could speak! "For the love of God," She breathed, putting a hand over her chest, as if she might have a heart attack.

"See?!" Evra pointed accusingly at Harkat, making his point, "He scared Fat Jo!"

"_Dude!_" Darren quickly tried to patch up the emotional damage that a comment like that might cause to a teen-aged girl - Clearly, Evra didn't realise how overly critical and sensitive girls could be! Things could get ugly fast with seemingly innocent jokes like that! He turned to Jo, "He doesn't mean that - you're not fat, he's just kidding -"

"Darren, it's fine!" Jo laughed, "I get it. It's a joke. The whole fat trucker thing - It's okay," She waved it off. She was actually overjoyed that Evra felt that he could joke around with her. It had been a while since she'd been able to socialize properly with other people her age. It was great to see that she hadn't become too socially awkward to co-exist with other young adults.

Darren breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh. Good. Awesome."

Evra snickered, "You need to chill out, bro."

"Shut up," He turned to Jo, looking mildly irritated, "Ready to move on?"

"If you are," Jo smiled at Evra, waving goodbye, "It was nice meeting you."

Evra gave a mock-salute gesture in return, "Ditto."

Jo was grinning from ear to ear when they left the boys' tent, ready to set out and meet her next co-worker and fellow Cirque member. She was already falling head over heels in love with her new home, regardless of the creepy little cannibals who were slowly losing interest in pursuing Ruz for tonight. Almost all of them had scattered by this time. Harkat stuck with them, talking quietly with Darren. Jo fell back a bit, watching Darren interact with the strange being. Harkat seemed to be very fond of Darren, and that, to her, was a great show of character. She got the impression that the Little People were not well liked amongst the members of the Cirque, and the fact that Darren overlooked their differences and managed to befriend one of the silent creatures was very endearing.

"Do all of them talk?" She whispered when Darren paused and looked at her curiously, wondering why she had started to drag behind.

"Harkat is the only one who will have a conversation with me. I think they prefer not to."

"But they can?"

"I'd assume so," They both spoke in hushed tones, not wanting to offend Harkat with something they said.

Jo hesitated for a moment, "..._what are they_?"

Darren looked down at Harkat, a troubled look on his face. Harkat glanced up at him and smiled lopsidedly, "Tired...I think...I will go...to sleep now...Goodnight."

Darren nodded, "Goodnight."

"'Night," Jo called, quietly and hesitantly. Harkat did not acknowledge them - simply went on his way, limping back to his pen. Once he was out of earshot, she looked back at Darren, waiting, hoping he could offer up some explanation as to how Harkat and his brothers had come to exist. They strolled leisurely for a few moments while Darren carefully considered his answer. He was unsure whether or not it would be safe to tell Jo about Mr. Tiny, but, eventually, decided that it was more dangerous to keep her in the dark about him. He could easily explain the Little People without going in to the whole fiasco with the Vampires and Vampaneze.

"I'm not really sure exactly how it's done, but he is...sort of like a spirit that has been moved in to a new body. There's a man named Mr. Tiny - "

Jo snickered, "_Mr. Tiny?" _She stopped her giggling, however, at the deeply serious look on Darren's face.

"Desmond Tiny - Mr. _Destiny. _Anyway, he creates them out of the souls trapped between life and death - "

"They're _dead?!_"

"Well, not anymore..."

"That's impossible," Jo shook her head, "I mean, I can believe in Strong men and Monkey Girls and whatever - but the living dead and some all-powerful warlock who can make tiny people out of wandering souls is a bit too much for me. Seriously, Darren - what's the real story?"

"That is the real one - I mean, I can't explain it as well as Harkat, but it's the truth."

Jo stared at him, slightly concerned about his mental stability, "...you're serious?"

"Very."

"...I might be interested in meeting this _Mr. Tiny, _if only to prove to myself that you really are telling me the truth, and that this isn't just some freak-show myth told around a campfire for shits and giggles."

"For your sake, I hope you don't," His voice was low, and deathly serious, a pained expression crossing his features. Jo knew at that moment that something terrible had transpired between Darren and Mr. Tiny. Darren was like often like an open book and was very easy to read, even for someone who had only known him for a brief period of time. He was someone who wore his heart on his sleeve.

Jo gulped, "O-okay -"

Darren shot her an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to scare you off or anything..."

"It's okay," Jo lied, "I'd rather you told me the truth - even if it is almost impossible to accept."

"Darren!"

Jo turned at the female voice and saw a girl with long brown hair. She was beaming at them - more specifically, at Darren - as she approached.

Darren smiled back, "I was just looking for you! Jo - this is Rebecca."

"Ah, my roomie!" Jo reached out to shake Rebecca's hand.

"Hi," Rebecca gave a shy smile before turning back to Darren, "Crepsley is looking for you."

Darren rolled his eyes, shrugging, "Duty calls, I guess. Could you help Jo get settled?"

"No problem."

"Great - I'll see you guys later," He waved as he headed off to meet Mr. Crepsley.

"Later," Jo agreed, watching him go.

"So," Rebecca turned to her when he'd gone, "You're the new girl."

"Guilty," Jo shrugged, grinning. She nodded her head in the direction that Darren had gone, "Do they always work late like this?"

Rebecca gave a knowing laugh, "You have no idea."

"No kidding," Jo mused, "Why is that?" She asked, wondering why she was allowed to know all about Rebecca, Evra, and the Little People, but still felt like she knew nothing about Darren and Mr. Crepsley.

"We have to be careful who we trust when it comes to those two - you'll know all about them after a while. Once we get to know you a bit better, I mean."

"Are they in some sort of trouble?" Jo frowned.

"Uhm -" Rebecca gave an apologetic smile, "I don't know if we should get in to it."

"Right. Okay, sorry."

The girls fell in to an awkward silence - Rebecca feeling slightly guilty for excluding Jo, Jo worrying that she might have asked too many questions and made a bad first impression on her new roommate. She really hoped that wasn't the case, since they would be living together for God knows how long. She would really have liked to befriend Rebecca. Jo had never really had a good female friend - never had the opportunity to have sleepovers and talk about boys or whatever else girls discussed when they hung out. It would be nice...glancing over at Rebecca, Jo mentally scolded herself - she was thinking too far ahead.

Their trailer wasn't far from Darren and Evra's tent, but it wasn't nearly as big. Jo wasn't in any position to complain, and she was glad to see that there was no coffin in this little abode. She couldn't help but notice that there was only one bed, though.

"I wasn't sure if you were actually going to come," Rebecca explained, "I'll just have to run and get you some blankets and a pillow - we don't have a second bed built yet. If you want, I can sleep on the floor and you can have my bed until we get one."

"Oh, it's fine - I'll sleep on the floor. I don't wanna put you out or anything."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely! I've slept in worse places, trust me," That was kind of an awkward thing to say, and Jo realised that too late by the uncomfortable look on Rebecca's face, "Sorry. I'm not out for pity or anything...Sometimes things just pop outta my mouth and I just don't think about it," She blushed.

"It's fine...I'm gunna go look for some blankets, now," She hesitated awkwardly for a moment before she left.

Ruz was exploring the little trailer, sniffing out every corner, and Jo made sure to keep an eye on his to make sure that he didn't try to 'mark his territory'. She sighed, worrying that she was failing epically at befriending Rebecca. Getting along with Darren and Evra had been easy, but for some reason, she was especially nervous around Rebecca. It wasn't that Rebecca was rude or unapproachable...maybe it was just because Jo wanted to get along with her the most. They were going to be living together, after all...

She knew she could probably find a place to sit and make herself at home, but she still felt as though she was a guest and wasn't comfortable with the idea of parading around like she owned the place. She looked at Ruz, who wagged his tail excitedly and hopped slightly in excitement, "Do you have to pee?" She asked, and Ruz bounced happily, signalling that Jo was right, and waited impatiently at the door. Jo pushed the door open, and followed Ruz as he bolted for the nearest patch of grass. The dark, quiet camp was much creepier when she was out alone, and she jogged to keep up with the dog. She stopped when he did, in a small grassy area with a few large trees around, and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for Ruz to do his business. She shivered - it was a chilly night, and she felt on edge, for reasons unknown to her. She jumped, thinking that she saw a shadow pass through her peripheral sight line, "H-Hello?" She called, turning to squint through the darkness.

Ruz ran back to her, whimpering, and Jo shrieked when he nudged the back of her leg with his snout, "Jesus - you scared me!" She hissed, patting the dog on the head, "What's the matter, boy?"

The dog whimpered again, trying to lead Jo back to camp - but, again, Jo was distracted by movement around her. This time, it was from the opposite direction - the sound of a twig snapping, "Seriously, this isn't funny! If this is some kind of newbie initiation, I'm gunna be so pissed - "

"Jo?"

She screamed, whipping around to face the source of the voice behind her. Seeing who it was, she punched the individual in the arm, "Jesus, Darren! You scared the crap out of me!"

"I'm sorry," He frowned, "What're you doing?"

"Ruz had to pee," She explained, still keeping an eye out for movement, even though she was fairly sure it had just been Darren the whole time.

"Oh..." He watched as she examined their surroundings, "...are you alright?"

"That was a mean prank," She pouted.

"What prank?"

"Creeping around like that, trying to freak me out!"

He blinked in confusion, "...Jo, I just got here," Alarmed, Darren raised his gaze to peer through the trees himself. Being half vampire, Darren had better night vision than Jo, but he still couldn't spot anyone. Whoever - or whatever - it had been was long gone by now, "We should go back," He suggested, taking her hand to walk her back to Rebecca's trailer.

"Should I be worried?" Jo inquired, glancing over her shoulder as Ruz ran ahead of them.

He carefully sidestepped the question, "Just...try to avoid going outside alone at night, okay?"

"O-okay," She gulped, gripping his hand tighter, "I'm not...I mean, I don't have to worry about anyone breaking in to the trailer or anything, do I?"

He smiled reassuringly, "No, you'll be fine. It's just the same as anywhere else - you wouldn't go wandering around in a bad neighbourhood alone at night, would you?"

She shook her head.

"Well, it's the same out here - except instead of people, you have wild animals to worry about," A half truth, but a truth all the same.

"I guess."

He laughed then, causing an overly anxious Jo to jump slightly, "Every time we talk, I freak you out!"

"We've only hung out twice," Jo pointed out, "There's still hope for you yet. And you don't....freak me out, necessarily. You're just...kind of cryptic."

"A trait I picked up from Mr. Crepsley, no doubt," Darren admitted bitterly.

She shrugged, "It's okay, I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's kind of entertaining, actually - like being in a movie. It's mysterious."

He grinned crookedly, nodding his head in approval, "I like 'mysterious' better than 'cryptic'. Cryptic sounds creepy - Mysterious sounds much cooler."

"Well, you, Darren Shan, are very mysterious."

He swelled with pride, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He walked with her right to the door - a perfect gentleman - and released her hand. Jo opened the door to let Ruz scoot inside (since he didn't like being around Darren much - Jo had no idea why) before she turned to say goodnight, "So, thanks for walking back with me..."

"Anytime."

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" She was uncertain if she would - she had no idea what to expect from the next day. It was exciting and nerve wracking all at once.

"Yep - tomorrow. you get to help us with the chores."

"Mmm," Jo nodded, leaning against the door frame, "Sounds like a good time," She muttered, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, even though it sounded pretty damn good to her - the sarcasm was more an attempt to make him laugh.

Smiling, he shrugged, "It's not that bad - I'll try to convince Evra to start you off with something easy."

"My hero," Jo sighed mockingly.

He laughed, backing away from the trailer to head back to his own tent - or where ever it was he'd been before they're run in to each other, "I'll see you in the morning," He called.

She waved, grinning and biting her lip, again watching him walk through the camp, "See ya."

**Please review! I love feedback! :D**


	3. the touch of your hand

Jo woke the next morning on the floor of Rebecca's trailer, stiff, cramped up, with Ruz licking her face. She coughed at his bad breath, shoving the dog off, "Ugh - you reek, dog!" Ruz payed her no mind, though, and crawled back over to her, waiting for her to get up and take him for his morning potty break. Jo groaned, wondering what time it was. She peered around, trying to spot a clock, and noticed that Rebecca was already gone, "Shit - why didn't she wake me up?" She shot out of her make-shift bed, digging quickly through her bag and pulling on jeans and a hoodie. Ruz barked impatiently while Jo ran a brush through her hair and hurriedly pulled it back in to a ponytail, remembering that Darren had said she'd be doing chores with them today. In her rush to get ready, she stubbed her toe against a table leg and yelped, hopping around, "DAMN IT! Oh, ow! Ow, Ow, Ow..." She limped toward the door, "C'mon, you!" She snapped, waving Ruz over as she hobbled out the door.

She froze once she got outside, seeing three teens grinning at her. Rebecca snickered, Evra raised an eyebrow, and Darren was trying to conceal an amused smile.

"Morning," Evra called, waving.

"...good morning," Jo mumbled, her face heating up with blush, "How...uhm..." She cleared her throat, "How long have you been waiting?"

"Not long," Darren assured her with a grin.

"Oh. Okay, uh, good," She pointed to Ruz, who was cowering by her leg, "Do I have time to take him to the bathroom, or...?"

He nodded, "Sure, go ahead," And stepped aside to let her and Ruz pass. Jo had to drag Ruz along to get him to go anywhere near the brown haired boy, trying not to limp while she walked.

"Do you want me to take him?" Rebecca snickered.

"Nope, I got it," She grumbled, stubbornly, as she passed the group. As soon as they'd moved away from Darren, Ruz ran ahead to do his business. The trio followed behind her and they stood near the same crop of trees as before to wait for Ruz to finish.

"Did you sleep alright?" Rebecca asked, having recovered from her earlier amusement.

"Fine, thank you," Jo smiled over at her, trying to ignore the stiffness in her neck and back. Regardless, she wasn't totally lying - she'd slept as well as can be expected when one sleeps on the floor.

"Your bed should be ready by tomorrow night..."

"Oh, awesome - thanks," They fell in to an awkward silence, and Jo was relieved when Ruz trotted back to them, "I'm gunna take him back to the trailer - should I just...meet you guys somewhere or do you wanna wait here...?"

"I'll come with you," Darren offered before turning to Evra and Rebecca, "Do you guys wanna go ahead and get started?"

"Oh, sure - we'd love to do the work for you. Take your time," Evra snorted.

Rebecca punched him in the arm, "C'mon!" She smiled at Darren, "We'll meet you there." And with that, they parted ways.

"You really didn't need to walk with me," Jo pointed out, "It's daylight - no big, scary monsters."

"I wanted to. Besides, you wouldn't have known where to go once you dropped the dog off," He reached out, attempting to pat Ruz, but the dog yelped and skitted away in fright. Darren sighed, "I keep forgetting about that..."

Jo frowned at him, "I don't know why he's like that with you - he really is very friendly."

"No need to explain - I know why," He smiled sadly, "It's a shame. I've always liked dogs."

"You're doing it again."

He frowned, "What?"

"Being crypti - I mean...'mysterious'."

He smiled apologetically, "Sorry."

"It's okay," Jo watched him worriedly, then bit her lip, averting her eyes to stare at her sneakers, "Why can't you tell me what you are?"

Darren gulped, "W-What I am?"

"I mean - I don't like being nosey, but..." She shrugged, "I'm sorry. It's none of my business - I get that. I just..." She laughed at her own stupidity, "Never mind. I'm just too curious for my own good. You're like a puzzle. Everyone else's talents are pretty straight forward - Evra has snake qualities, Rebecca has a tail, the Wolf Man...well, he's a _Wolf Man_ - then there's you. You're super strong, insanely fast, my dog - the biggest, friendliest, cuddliest sweetheart in the world - won't go within ten feet of you without whimpering, you work in to all hours of the night with your creepy-ass mentor - who, by the way, dresses like he just walked out of an old, cheesy romance novel - and..." She paused, taking a breath, "I think that's all I know about you so far. Compared to the others, your abilities are kind of stacked."

"Fair enough," Darren stopped walking, peering around, "Look, I'm sorry, and no offense, but I really...I like you and all, don't get me wrong...I just don't _know you_very well, and, uhm..." He shifted his weight, uncomfortably, "And I -"

Jo held up her hands, signalling him to stop, "Rebecca told me - you can't trust anyone," She was a little stung by the fact that he didn't trust her, but she knew she really had no right to be offended. He was right - he didn't know her at all.

"It's sort of a life or death thing - otherwise I would definitely tell you!" He assured her.

Jo's eyes widened, "Life or death?!"

He winced, realising he'd said too much, "Never mind," He turned on his heel, walking at a brisk pace in the direction of the trailer.

Jo had to practically jog to keep up with Darren's long strides, "It's life or death?! For who? How? I think I deserve to know if I'm in danger for being here - that was so not part of the deal when I signed up!"

"It was in the fine print," He grunted.

"Oh, ha ha!" She snapped, sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes, glancing sidelong at her, "You're not in danger, okay?"

"Not okay! How do I know you're not lying?"

"It's for my own safety, alright?! And for Mr. Crepsley's!" Darren stopped, turning to face her and lowering his voice to a low hiss, "I can't tell you because, if you freaked out and ran off to tell someone, we would be hunted down and killed."

Jo' stared back at him, noting the intensity in his usually kind eyes, and knew he wasn't kidding. She swallowed the lump in her throat, _"_What_ are _you?_" _She breathed before she could stop herself.

For a moment, Darren stared back at her, his expression dark, and she thought he might tell her...then he grinned, leaning closer, and simply whispered: "I'm Batman."

Surprised, Jo burst out laughing, hitting him playfully in the chest, the ominous revelation forgotten for the moment, "You're such a jerk!"

"Awe, poor baby," He feigned a sympathetic pout, "Does Jo need a hug?"

"I'm not hugging you - I'm mad at you!"

"C'mon," He held his arms open, waving her forward, "Hug it out."

"Darren, I'm not hugging you - AH!" Darren darted toward her, and Jo shrieked in delight, turning to run away and giggling uncontrollably when she snatched her up from behind, lifting her right off the ground with ease, "Put me down - I'm serious! IT'S NOT A PROPER HUG IF I DON'T RETURN IT!"

"How do I know you won't run away?"

"I promise I won't!"

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"If I run, you can feed Ruz to the Little People."

He paused for a moment, considering this, then he seemed to decide it was a fair agreement, because he set Joanna back on the ground. She turned to face him, her face flushed, and, after some hesitation, she quickly and awkwardly wrapped her arms around his waist - for only a second - before she pulled away, blushing furiously, but trying her best to hide it, "There - are you satisfied?"

He nodded, a cocky grin on his face - he was proud of his little victory.

"Ugh, you're so immature," Jo snapped, trying to surpress a grin as she continued their journey to the trailer (Ruz was probably already waiting by the door, for crying out loud!)

"No, I'm not!"

"Oh, yes, you are!"

"Nope."

"Yes!"

"Am not."

"Are s - I'm not doing this!"

"Doing what?"

"You know what!" She laughed, and, giving in, he laughed, too. Both were glad for the distraction their bickering had provided from their previous, heavy-hearted topic of conversation.

"Ya - we probably shouldn't keep Evra and Rebecca waiting too long, anyway. Evra's probably freaking out."

"Right," Jo held up a finger, once they'd actually reached the trailer, signalling for him to wait where he was while she put the dog inside, "I'll be one second." He nodded, and Jo scurried up the steps and opened the door to the little trailer, ushering Ruz inside in front of her. Once she, too, was safely inside, she closed the door behind her and leaned back against it, grinning from ear to ear. She brought a hand to her mouth and chewed her fingernails thoughtfully for a moment, then took a deep breath and went to the bathroom, peering in to the small mirror there and surveying her reflection. She groaned, tucking the stray bits and pieces of hair back and re-adjusting her ponytail, and wished desperately that she could put on some make-up - at least a bit of mascara! - but that would be too obvious. He would know that she went in and fixed herself up to look good. Who tries to look good to clean anyway? What would be the point? Of course, she knew the point would be to look good for Darren. But he didn't have to know that - she didn't _want_him to know that! So, she would just put on a brave face, and go back out there as she was. She didn't look bad, really. She'd been blessed with dark eyelashes, even though she had a light head of hair, and dark brows, and both helped to bring out her eyes, with or without the help of make-up. She was naturally fair, and her cheeks were a little red, but that couldn't be helped. She could've looked a lot worse...

Bearing that thought in mind, she sighed and forced herself away from the mirror and went to rejoin Darren, "I'll be back - love you!" She called to Ruz before she locked him inside.

Darren was leaning against the trailer and he shoved himself upright again when she reappeared, "What took you so long?"

"I wanted to make sure there was nothing lying around for him to chew up," She lied - although, now that she'd thought of it, that probably would have been a good idea. But it was too late now...Now, they were well on their way to their first chore. Which, Jo was dismayed to note, was cleaning the Wolf Man's cage.

"Well, look who decided to show up!" Evra called while they approached, "Did you get lost?"

"We took a wrong turn," Darren joked, grabbing a shovel.

Jo followed suit, and grabbed one herself, following Darren in to the cage. It smelled absolutely disgusting in there. Her nose wrinkled in to a look of distaste, she began to scoop the droppings and other such muck up off the floor. She dove in to the chore, because the faster they finished, the less time she would have to spend breathing through her mouth so that she wouldn't have to deal with the smell, and, also, because she wanted to prove that she was worthy of a permanent home with the Cirque Du Freak - prove that she could pull her own weight around here and, hopefully, that she could be trusted with Darren's secret. She intended to work her ass off to earn their trust, respect, and friendship. It didn't take long to finish cleaning out the cage, but, because she and Darren had taken so long to arrive, Evra and Rebecca decided that they would be the ones to take the bags of Wolf-Man-Waste to the larger camp garbage bin. Immediately following that, Darren had to go off to complete some chores for Mr. Crepsley (Jo wondered, bitterly, why the older man couldn't just do them himself), and Evra went to tend to his snake while the girls went to gather food for the Little People.

"Poor little guy," Jo commented as she scooped up a dead squirrel.

"Yeah," Rebecca agreed, freeing a field mouse from a trap, "But the Little People have to eat - and if we don't keep them fed, who knows, they might take a bite out of one of us!"

"Or my dog."

She laughed, "Darren told me about that."

Jo paused as she bent to pick up another dead rodent. She blushed, oddly thrilled that he'd been talking about her, "O-Oh," She tossed the animal in to her sack and moved on, avoiding looking at Rebecca to keep from seeming too interested, "He, uhm, h-he mentioned that you guys dated."

"We did," Rebecca called back.

"Mind if I ask what happened?" Jo stood, stretching and watching as Rebecca shrugged:

"Nothing, really. We just...decided that we were better just being friends. He did, I mean - we're still good friends, though. That's one of the great things about Darren. He's a good guy," She laughed, "He was so worried that I was going to hate him for breaking up with me," The girls' eyes met, "I sort of saw it coming, though. He's kind of -"

"- like an open book," Jo finished.

"Exactly. We didn't date long - I think it was a bit of a fantasy for us. Under the circumstances, everything was kind of heightened and, once things calmed down, it just wasn't what we thought it would be, I guess..." She frowned.

"What circumstances?"

Neither was working much at this point, and Rebecca looked at the ground, smiling to herself, "He saved my life. And, I guess, I kind of saved him, too."

Jo swallowed, "Y-Yeah, I can see how that would get emotions running high..." She so wanted to ask about the situation in which he'd had to save her, but instead she just laughed, "I'm guessing that the full story falls in to the 'Things You Can Know Once We Trust You' category, right?"

Rebecca looked at Jo with sympathy and spoke quietly, "I was kidnapped, and Darren came looking for me."

Jo smiled, her stomach doing flips when she thought about it. Darren Shan, the Hero. _Superman, indeed..._

"But, yes, I can't really give you the 'who' or 'why' just yet."

Jo shrugged, nodding to show she understood, even if she didn't really like it. The pair fell in to silence once more to continue their gathering. Jo's mind was running amok with ideals, images, and fantasies - all starring a certain brown haired, mysterious boy.

* * *

Jo's muscles were pleasantly sore after another long day of work - the kind of soreness that only comes from manual labor. It made her smile. She felt as though she had accomplished something to deserve the down time that she was enjoying now, on the floor of her and Rebecca's trailer, reading from an old, worn book. She had been with the Cirque for nearly two whole weeks now, and already she was getting used to calling the trailer 'her and Rebecca's' instead of just 'Rebecca's'. The camp was fast becoming the first true home that she'd ever known, and she was hoping that it would become a permanent settlement.

The sound of the sink running came from the occupied bathroom and, once the faucet when shut off, a very put together Rebecca emerged, wearing a nice red t-shirt, a blue jean skirt and leggings (she was a quirky, very girly dresser) and had taken the time to put her hair up nicely and even put on some make-up, "You look nice," Jo commented, marking her page and setting the book aside.

Rebecca beamed down at her, "Thanks," She then frowned, seeing that Jo was in her pajamas, "Aren't you coming?"

"Coming where?"

"Oh, no - you forgot!"

"Forgot what?"

"Gertha's birthday! The bonfire!"

Jo's eyes widened. How could she have forgotten?! She had met Gertha during her second day in the Cirque, and one of the first things she'd learned about the buck-toothed woman was that her birthday celebration was coming up, "Oh, crap!" She scrambled out of her new bed. While Jo shot in to the bathroom to do her hair and make-up, Rebecca dug through her clothes to pick out something nice for her to wear. Time was of the essence, and the easiest way to handle her hair (which she'd left tied up in a bun all day) was to just let it down and straighten it. She didn't require much foundation, and only put on some eyeliner and mascara. It was a good day - the kind where she was feeling pretty okay about herself and didn't feel like she needed much make-up. When she returned, Rebecca had laid out a couple of options.

"I like this one the best," Rebecca commented, pointing to a purple, knee-length summer dress.

"You would," Jo laughed, "I don't want to look too overdressed."

"Okaaaay, no dress..." Rebecca mumbled, setting the dress aside.

Jo liked the jeans that Rebecca had chosen for the second outfit, and quickly pulled them on before they had a chance to discuss the pros and cons of the selection, "I just need a shirt, now."

"This one, definitely," Rebecca thrust a blue, loose fitting, low cut graphic tee in her direction. Jo tugged it on and stood before her roommate, arms spread.

"Well? What's the verdict?"

"I like it."

Jo nodded, "Good - thanks."

"You're welcome - now, let's go! We're gunna be late!"

Jo pulled on her sneakers and followed Rebecca out, "Was there even a set time for everyone to be there?" She asked, closing the door behind them.

"Dusk."

"Dusk - right," It was already night, so, they were definitely late, "Well, it was a weird time to give to party guests anyway!" She mumbled defensively.

Rebecca laughed and grabbed her wrist to pull her along, "Just come on!"

They started jogging through the camp - the laughter and music from the party could be heard throughout the grounds and it wasn't hard to figure out where it was being held. It was by the outdoor cafeteria, where they all would usually gather to have their meals. The were greeted by a slightly intoxicated Gertha, her over sized smile was practically blinding, "YOU CAME!"

"Of course we did!" Rebecca giggled, hugging Gertha, "Happy birthday."

"Thanks!"

Jo squeaked in surprise when Gertha threw her arms around her, but recovered quickly and patted her on the back awkwardly, "Yeah - Happy Birthday."

Gertha released her and moved on to her next victim, easily distracted by whoever was closest and most willing to keep her entertained. Clearly, Jo and Rebecca hadn't been interesting enough to keep her attention for long. The pair laughed under their breath and moved through the small crowd to find Darren and Evra, greeting fellow guests as they passed. They found them sitting with Harkat and a couple other little people, and Jo's heart sputtered pathetically in her chest when she saw Darren. He had his hair combed back off his face and was wearing a black golf shirt and dark blue jeans. He looked amazing.

Over the past two weeks, Jo's crush on Darren had only grown, and she felt nervous as they approached the two boys. She had learned that, even though this was sort of her first real crush (she'd thought guys were attractive before, sure - but she'd never gotten to know any of them well enough to actually _like_ them), she had a natural talent for hiding her nerves and keeping her cool, even though, inside, she was flipping out.

"Ladies!" Evra hollered.

"Oh, God, are you drunk?" Rebecca whispered.

"NO!"

Rebecca turned to Jo, rolling her eyes, "He's drunk."

"I'm not!" Evra insisted, even though he swayed slighly when he spoke, "And even if I _was_, I'm allowed to be!"

"That is so not cool!" Rebecca snapped, "Oh my God, Evra -"

Jo blushed when Darren smiled at her, ignoring their bickering friends, "You look nice."

"Thanks," Jo tucked her hands in to the back pockets of her jeans, rocking back on her heels, "You don't look half bad yourself."

He grinned, "Thanks," They watched Evra and Rebecca argue for a moment before Darren glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow, "...do you wanna go get some food or something?"

Jo nodded eagerly, "I would love some food - there must be cake around here somewhere."

"Yeah."

She followed Darren through the crowd, heading in the general direction of the picnic tables, figuring that a table would be the most likely place for a cake to be kept. They passed Larten Crepsley along the way, and he watched the pair pass, the corners of his pale lips turned up slightly in a small smile.

"A-ha!" Darren turned to beam at Jo when he spotted the cake on one of the tables. He stepped over the bench and sat, gesturing for Jo to take a seat beside him.

She grabbed a paper plate and lifted a piece of cake on to it. The pieces were massive, and she knew she wouldn't be able to finish it. She looked at Darren, "You're not having any?"

He shook his head.

"Do you wanna share mine?" Jo asked, setting the plate down on the table and sitting down on the bench, on leg on each side, facing him, "I won't eat it all myself."

"Sure," He picked up a fork, as did she, and they dug in.

"So, did Crepsley give you the night off?" Jo asked. Darren often worked days with her, Rebecca and Evra, but then she knew that he also stayed out all night doing God-knows-what with Mr. Crepsley - when the kid slept, she didn't know.

Darren laughed, "For the most part, yeah. At least until the party ends. After that..." He shrugged, taking another forkful of cake, "I don't know. He doesn't really tell me anything ahead of time."

"That must be annoying."

"You have no idea."

She put another piece of the cake in her mouth, knowing better than to ask what it was they did at night, "So, lemme get this straight:" She pointed her fork at him, "You work all night with him, and then you get up and do chores around the camp and do more chores than the rest of us at his bidding while he does....what? Sleeps in all day? I never see him out doing any work around here!"

"That's pretty much it, yup," He chuckled.

"That's bullshit!" Jo whispered, as if she thought Crepsley might be able to hear her over all the noise.

"I don't mind, really. I mean, it used to bother me - but not anymore. He's not so bad."

"Hmm," Jo set her fork on the plate, "You can have the late bite."

"You go ahead. I'm full."

"Oh, well," Jo smirked, picking up her fork and stabbing the lone piece of cake, "If you insist."

While Jo chewed the sweet pastry, the music slowed and the loud chatter turned in to a quiet murmur as the freaks paired off to dance together while others moved aside to watch. Jo was avoiding looking at Darren while the slow melody began, and she smiled when she saw that even Harkat had found himself someone to dance with - Madam Truska had agreed while Mr. Crepsley looked on in amusement. As the song played, Jo recognized the familiar tune of one of her favorite oldies, and, without even knowing it, she had started humming along with the song.

"Jo?"

She made herself look Darren in the eye, regardless of the way her nerves made her stomach turn over, "Ya?"

"Do you want to dance?"

She stopped humming, blinking a few times, before grinning happily at him and nodding her head, "Sure."

**It's late, so, unfortunately, i must stop there. :) More will be posted very soon, though.  
Please, review!**


	4. i want your everything

**Big thanks to those of you who favorited/reviewed! I love you all - you keep me inspired. :) **

Darren took her hand and led her in to the throng of people, choosing an appropriate spot before her turned to face her. Jo waited, unsure how to proceed and not wanting to be the first to initiate the intimate contact. He wrapped his right arm around her waist, so that his hand lay spread across the center of her back, and took her right hand in his left. Jo, having only seen people dance like this in movies, shakily reached up to rest her hand on his shoulder, trying not to think about how close he was. She couldn't get up the courage to look up at his face, and her eyes wandered around, watching the other couples dance. Most of the women had their heads resting on their partner's shoulders, others were laughing happily, talking and flirting amongst themselves while they danced.

"Relax," Darren muttered.

Jo laughed breathlessly, "Right. Sorry," She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and just listening to the song, smiling to herself because, come on: what girl wouldn't be thrilled that the object of her affection had asked her to dance? She felt her smile fading in to a content curve of her mouth as her mood mellowed out to match the melancholy of the lyrics - a sweet melancholy though it may be, empathetic Jo couldn't help but be affected by the passionate longing evident in the song, and soon she found herself pressing closer to Darren until her temple was resting softly against his cheek. The fingers on their intertwined hands moved against each other, gently exploring, touching, and stroking as the pair swayed absently. Jo felt lightheaded, like she was floating - or, perhaps, drowning. It felt perfect to her - an intoxicating, overwhelming sense of belonging and astounding glee. Deep down, she knew the song had to end...she just didn't want it to. When the song ended, the cynic in her knew the spell would be broken, and they would go back to joking around, pretending this never happened, and she would lose her nerve. She knew herself well enough to know that she would never bring it up again.

If she was ever going to say anything about her feelings toward Darren, she would have to do it now.

She turned her head so that her forehead was now gently pressed to his jaw, her voice no more than a whisper for fear that their little trance might be broken if she spoke too loud, "Darren?"

"Ya?" He pulled his head away slightly so he could look at her, and Jo glanced up at him and gulped.

"I - uhm -"

She was interrupted by Harkat shoving his way over to them, tugging urgently on Darren's pantleg. Darren groaned, stepping away from her. Jo watched, heart sinking, as her chance slipped away with him, "What?!" He spoke to the Little Person.

"He's here!" Harkat whispered, his weird, creepy voice a mixture of fear and excitement.

Darren's eyes widened, "_Now_? Why?"

"Who's here?"

He looked over at her, then looked past her, "We have to find Rebecca and Evra, they'll take you with them to hide - "

"Hide? Darren -" It was as if everyone was in the know except her because, when she stopped to look, the crowd was quickly dispersing as the men and women of the Cirque hurried to lock themselves inside the nearest trailer. Now, she was scared, "What's going on?"

Still holding her hand in his, he practically dragged her through the ever shrinking crowd, "Mr. Tiny's coming."

"_The_ Mr. Tiny?!" She'd picked up a few rumors about him through the camp - that he was some agent of fate, a warmonger, and a very powerful psychopath. Not only that, but she also knew that he and Darren had some serious history.

"That's the one - hurry!" They were jogging now, and were intercepted by Mr. Crepsley, "Hey!" Darren stopped the red haired man, "What's going on?"

"I'm on my way to Mr. Tall's tent to meet and speak with Mr. Tiny. I assume he's only come to check on you - "

Jo's grip on Darren's hand tightened protectively.

" - but we can never be too careful," He smiled wryly, "You know how it goes. Now, take the girl, and get inside."

"But -"

"Do as I say!" Mr. Crepsley snapped as he continued on his way.

Darren was fuming, "If it has something to do with me, I should be there!" He grumbled to himself and he continued to pull Jo along behind him.

"Darren!" Evra called from their right, waving them over to where he and Rebecca stood on a bench, surveying the crowd, presumably trying to spot them, as well. They hopped down when Jo and Darren joined them and, without another word, the foursome set off at a brisk pace toward Evra and Darren's tent (it was closer than the girls' trailer). The further they walked, the less people they encountered along the way, and soon, it was just the four of them in the dark, foggy night. They had slowed to a cautious pace, now, and the hair on the back of Jo's neck stood on end and she jumped, gasping, when a shadow passed on her left.

"What was that?" Evra hissed.

"Vampaneze?" Rebecca muttered, moving instinctively to stand beside Jo, behind Darren and Evra.

"What's a 'Vampaneze'?" Jo whispered.

"Hey, Shan!"

Jo, along with others, turned toward the unfamiliar voice. There was a boy, standing with his arms crossed over his chest, grinning at them. There was something off about this boy, and, when he stepped closer to them and in to the light, Jo gasped, seeing that not only was the boy extremely pale with dark bags under his eyes - his eyes were purple, and wild with madness. Darren shoved her and Rebecca behind him, and even Evra stepped back.

"Steve," Darren breathed.

"Long time no see! What's it been - two years?" Steve continued toward them, and Darren kept moving everyone back, keeping his distance.

"Almost," Darren agreed, "What are you doing here, Steve?"

"The fat man said I could come. Wanted to say 'hi', see how you're doin', make sure you're eating properly - You haven't died yet, so, seems like you're doin' alright. You look a hell of a lot better than you did the last time I saw you," Steve laughed, "I get bored. Killing humans is only fun for so long, ya know? This whole war thing isn't nearly as exciting as I would've thought - I haven't seen any action!"

Darren waited silently, poised, his gaze fixed on Steve. Jo looked worriedly between the two, confused and frightened by Steve's talk of killing people and war, "Darren who is this kid?" She whispered, feeling Rebecca shaking next to her.

"Remember those wild animals I told you to look out for at night?"

"...yeah."

"He's one of them."

Steve's smile faltered, "Alright, let's cut the bullshit. Whatta ya say, Darren - you up for round two?" He let his arms fall to his sides, his left hand curled in to a fist, his right ramrod straight.

"Darren, dude - " Evra began, but Darren ignored him, smirking.

"I'm sure Mr. Tiny'll be pretty pissed at you - unless, of course, he gave you permission to come out here and pick a fight...?"

"I don't need his _permission_!" Steve snapped irritably.

Darren stepped forward, "I'll take that as a 'no'."

"Darren, come on - he's not worth it!" Rebecca called.

It was as if they weren't even there.

Steve, too, moved closer, until the pair stood almost nose to nose, glaring at each other, "You don't have big, bad Crepsley to save your ass this time."

"I'm stronger than last time," Darren pointed out.

Steve grinned - although, to Jo, it looked more like a snarl, "Prove it."

The two lunged at each other with astounding speed and then it was all a blur - literally. Jo's eyes were wide in horror while she tried to watch the fight, but she couldn't keep up! "Oh my God," She breathed.

"Look out!" Evra yelled, and Jo screamed and dove out of the way as the two boys crashed in to the trailer in front of which they'd been standing seconds before. They slowed down long enough for Jo to be able to gape at them and see what was going on. Steve had Darren pinned against the wall of the trailer, his fingertips inches from Darren's throat while Darren strained to keep the straightened hand from touching him - it was strange, and it confused her. Darren yelled in frustration as Steve overpowered him slightly, the nail of his middle finger scraping against Darren's skin, cutting in, drawing blood, which ran a path down his throat and on to the collar of his shirt. Jo gasped, scrambling to her feet at the sight and starting toward the pair, wanting to help Darren.

"Jo, don't!" Rebecca grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"We have to help him!"

"We can't!"

Darren brought his knee up, connecting with Steve's gut, causing Steve to double over and lose his grip long enough for Darren to get free. Darren threw himself at Steve, tackling the other boy in to the dirt, straightening his own right hand and stabbing forward. Steve rolled, dodging the blow, and Darren's hand sliced through the hardened soil like butter. While Darren tried to free his limb, Steve hurried to his feet and delivered a savage kick to the side of Darren's head, sending him flying on to his back.

Jo screamed, trying to shake Rebecca off, "Darren! - Let me go! He's going to kill him! Evra, _do something_!"

Darren groaned, holding his head in his hands and rolling on to his stomach, his face contorted in pain.

"Not bad, Shan," Steve panted, "I can still kick your ass, though," Steve stood over him and prepared to deliver the killer blow...

Darren flipped over quickly and kicked Steve's legs out from under him, bringing the other boy back to the ground. Steve moaned, gasping, temporarily winded, and the boys laid next to each other, both trying to catch their breath before the fight resumed. Darren was just working on pushing himself up again when a voice echoed through the camp.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

The voice boomed with deep authority that was not to be disobeyed, and Jo knew that it must be the voice of Mr. Tiny. Jo stared, shocked, at the stubby, bald, seemingly harmless man before her - he definitely wasn't what she'd expected. Everyone froze, except Jo, who did not yet understand that she should fear Mr. Tiny and try her hardest to be overlooked by him. She ran to Darren's side to make sure he was alright. She winced, seeing the large bruise forming on his head where Steve had kicked him, "Are you okay?"

He nodded, groaning slightly as he sat up. Jo watched worriedly as he licked his palm and brought the saliva covered hand to the cut on his throat. When he rubbed the fluid on the wound, it immediately began to heal, and Jo watched in awed silence. Darren glanced over at her warily while Steve watched the pair curiously, a flicker of interest in his eyes.

"How _dare_ you, boy!" Mr. Tiny hissed, and Steve jumped to his feet, looking embarrassed.

"I was just - "

"We will speak of this later! It is not time for you to fight!"

"Yes, Sir."

"Go wait in the car."

Steve left without argument, glaring at Darren as he passed. Darren and Jo rose, both watching Steve depart.

Mr. Tiny's demeanor changed completely and he beamed at Darren as if they were old friends, "Darren, my boy! I'm delighted to see that you are well!"

"Thanks," Darren murmured.

"I am sorry about all that mess with Steve - you know how hard it is to control him. The boy has spirit, you must admit that," Mr. Tiny laughed.

"I believe we are finished, here, Desmond," Mr. Crepsley appeared next to them and placed a hand on Darren's shoulder.

"We are, Larten - I was just saying hello to the boy. Enjoy the rest of your evening. Oh, and I am deeply sorry for ruining your party."

And, with that, he left the Cirque, and left Jo's head reeling with unanswered questions.

* * *

Jo hissed in pain as she dabbed at the scrape that ran along the underside of her forearm - she must have gotten the wound when she threw herself out of the way of the fighting boys earlier. It wasn't bleeding much, but it was filled with dirt and needed to be cleaned out, otherwise it might become infected. And so, once everyone had calmed down, Jo and Rebecca had reluctantly returned to their trailer while Darren went off to discuss the evening's events with Mr. Crepsley. Jo hadn't even realised that she'd hurt herself until Rebecca pointed it out. Now that she had nothing to distract her and no adrenaline racing through her veins, she could feel the dull, throbbing sting of the scrape. When she emerged, satisfied with how well she'd managed to clean out the cut, she smiled, seeing that Rebecca was already fast asleep. Jo tiptoes past Rebecca's bunk and scooped up her pajamas from where she'd tossed them when she'd changed in to her party ensemble. She changed, quietly, pulled her hair back in to a loose bun, and crawled in to her own bed. For privacy sake, the girls had installed (with some difficulty) a curtain that could be drawn to separate the two beds. Jo pulled the curtain shut before pulling a flashlight out of one of her drawers and flipping her book open once more to continue where she'd left off before the birthday party. It was late, this was true, but Jo did not feel tired - she somehow doubted that she'd be able to fall asleep now, anyway, even if she wanted to.

Ruz hopped up on the bed to lay with her while she read in peaceful silence, re-reading a few lines as a result of her mind wandering. Eventually, Ruz fell asleep next to her, and it was while her beloved dog dozed that there came a soft knock on the trailer door. Jo's stomach jumped (apparently, her nerves hadn't quite calmed down completely) and her head shot up. Ruz was roused by the sound, and he hopped off the bed and stood in front of the door, growling quietly. Jo was in the middle of moving to answer the knock when the dog's odd reaction stopped her. Pausing to reconsider her original intention to just answer the door, Jo redirected her steps and tiptoed to the trailer's small window, stood on her tiptoes and cautiously pulled the blinds aside and peered out, trying to spot whoever was knocking.

"_Darren!_" She whispered excitedly, seeing the darkly clad boy on her doorstep. Jo hurried to answer the door, shooing the growling Ruz as she went, "Shh! Shut up, dog!" She hissed, glancing worriedly at her sleeping roommate, hoping she hadn't woken her.

Sure enough, Rebecca was still fast asleep.

She pulled open the door and smiled up at Darren, "Hey."

He gave a shy smile, "Hey - I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Jo shook her head quickly, "Oh, no, not at all."

"Good," He hesitated and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "I have some explaining to do..."

Jo smiled, daring to hope that he might finally tell her the truth, and stepped aside, "Come on in."

"Thanks," He stepped inside, and Jo carefully closed the door behind him, taking great care not to let it bang.

"Rebecca's sleeping," She whispered, "So, we'll have to be quiet."

He nodded, "Okay," Jo gestured for him to follow her and lead him to her curtained-off bed. She crawled back on to it, crossed her legs, and patted the mattress, signalling that he should join her. He lowered himself on to the bed to sit in front of her, and Jo sat in silence, watching him expectantly, but not wanting to push him. Her heart was pounding while he played absently with her blanket, avoiding looking at her, "So," He gave a nervous laugh, looking up at her briefly before gesturing in the general direction of where they'd encountered Steve, "Sorry about all that," He muttered quietly.

"It's fine! Don't worry about it - Are _you_ okay?" She craned her neck to attempt to get a glimpse of the bruise near his temple, but couldn't make it out properly in the darkness.

"Oh, yeah - I'm fine. I'll be completely healed in no time," He looked down again, clearing his throat, "I - uhm - That's sort of what I came to talk to you about. You're probably wondering how I - " He pointed to where the now healed cut had been, " - you know, healed myself."

Jo nodded her head eagerly, shifting excitedly, "Yeah!"

He smiled slightly, "My spit does that - "

"Hence why you licked your palm."

"Right," He chuckled, "This is gunna sound weird no matter how much I try to explain it, so, I'm just gunna spit it out," He gulped, making eye contact with her for the first time since he'd sat down on her bed, "I'm a half-vampire."

There was a moment of silence during which Jo tried to decide if he was just screwing with her mind, like he always did, "Shut up, Darren," She whined, "I really wanna know! It's mean to come in here like this, get my hopes up, just to mess with me!" She hissed, growing a little frustrated - it wasn't like him to be so cruel...

He shook his head, "I'm not messing with you. That's it."

She rolled her eyes, "How do you go out in the sun, then, huh?"

"I'm only _half_ vampire," He repeated.

"How can you be only 'half' vampire?!"

He shrugged, "Mr. Crepsley didn't completely replace my human blood with vampire cells. He wanted me to be able to go out during the day, so I could do chores for him and -"

"Woah, woah, woah - slow down for a sec: Mr. Crepsley is a vampire?"

"Yes."

"...Now, _that _I can believe," She said jokingly, but, when she thought about it, it would explain why she never saw Mr. Crepsley around the camp during the day...

He sighed, "You don't believe me."

She gave him an apologetic look, "It's a little far fetched, don't you think?"

"As opposed to Superman?"

"I knew you were joking then!"

"I thought you thought this was a joke, too," He mumbled.

She opened her mouth to retort, but then stopped herself, realising he'd made a very valid point. If she was so sure that this, too, was a joke, why couldn't she laugh it off like the others? Why ask questions at all? Maybe it wasn't that she didn't believe what he said - maybe, she just didn't want to hear it. She swallowed past the lump in her throat, "Are you...Are you dead?"

He shook his head, "No - at least, I don't think so. I can still die - and I will die, eventually. Just not as soon as a human might."

"How old are you?"

"Only eighteen - gunna be nineteen this year."

"...Oh."

"You look surprised."

"Well, no offense, but I was bracing myself for something like 'a hundred and twenty-seven'," She laughed.

He laughed under his breath, "No, I'm not ancient. Not yet - I would look a lot older if I was."

"You still age?"

"I age one year for every five that I live."

Jo nodded her head in understanding, glancing at her alarm clock, seeing how late it was, "I have a lot of questions," She warned.

"I've got time."

"Mr. Crepsley won't wonder where you are?"

He shook his head.

"That's good," And then she did something she never knew she would. Perhaps it was the late hour, or perhaps it was because of everything that had happened that night - but suddenly, by the grace of God, she became brave, "I wanna know everything," She whispered, "Darren...every time I've been around you since I got here I've only wanted to know more about you. I want to know where you come from, I want to know about your family, your friends - hell, I even want to know about Steve! And if you're in danger, I want to know that, too," She gulped, "W-When I say that I want to know everything, I mean..._everything_. Anything you can think of," She leaned forward, wondering if he was able to hear how her heart was pounding riotously in her chest, "And I..." Her gaze flickered to his lips, then she looked back in to his inquiring eyes, and spoke in a low whisper, "I wanna kiss you."

Not knowing how to proceed (Jo had never kissed anyone before), she was relieved and elated when Darren met her half way. She let her eyes flutter closed while he, too, leaned forward and gently placed his lips against hers. She sighed, happy, even though the feeling was strange. She felt every muscle in her body melt in to total relaxation while he took control over the kiss, bringing his hand to her neck, moving his lips against hers, gently parting them and deepening the connection. For a moment, Joanna feared that it might be too much for her inexperienced heart. She felt dizzy with it, like she might pass out at any moment. She followed his lead, anxious to explore him and eager to learn whatever she could for the next time this happened.

She smiled as they continued to kiss on her bed, in her trailer, in her new home.

_Next time_.

She liked the sound of that.

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